Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

A lymphoma diagnosis and other personal tragedies derailed Charlotte Scalf’s plans for a relaxing retirement. But with the support of her family and stem cells from her “angel donor,” she triumphed over the disease.

Breast cancer survivor Adrien MacKenzie isn’t satisfied with simply being a cancer “survivor.” She wants to be a “thriver.” “It’s going to be a while before I get over that ‘I just got over chemotherapy’ look,” she acknowledges, “but I don’t want to always identify as ‘the cancer patient’ or ‘cancer survivor’ in the room.” [...]

When Martha McCann Lesnick’s granddaughter was about 6 years old, she asked her grandmother about the yellow LiveStrong wristband she wore. Lesnick explained that she wore it because she was fighting lung cancer. Her granddaughter replied: “oh yeah, that’s because…what did you do?” “She was talking about smoking,” says Lesnick, a Nashville songwriter and four-year [...]

Fingers speeding across a keyboard, Sigourney Cheek watched letters appear on the computer screen as she composed an electronic message that would mark a new chapter in her life. Pausing to find the right words, Cheek wondered if an e-mail was the proper way to tell close friends that she had just been diagnosed with [...]

“It is advisable to look from the tide pool to the stars and then back to the tide pool again.” – John Steinbeck In late January of 2006, I was looking neither at tide pools, nor at stars. I was staring intently – just as I am now, as I’m writing this – into a [...]

I’m no fan of smoking. In fact, I wish we could reduce the smoking rate in this country to zero. Even if this wish were to come true, between 15,000 and 25,000 Americans would still die of lung cancer each year. Tobacco use is a key issue in lung cancer. The link between smoking and [...]

“Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind – or forgotten.” – from the animated movie Lilo & Stitch. A few years ago, “ohana” – for me – basically meant my mom, my dad and my brother. Since losing my mother to a rare form of cancer, “ohana” has come to mean much more. [...]

Ilana Horn first discovered Facebook in 2006 after her brother died of a rare form of prostate cancer at only 36. In her search for photos, his friends directed her to a memorial page on the social networking site that connects family and friends. “At that time of great grief, it was very important to [...]

Michelle Eckland wanted to do something great to honor the memory of her mother. Mo Mantus just wanted to fulfill a dream. Together “Team MO” had a fantastic ride at the Country Music Half Marathon. Read more in “Stories of Survival: Michelle Eckland In Her Own Words.”